John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a question-comment. I want to refer to the Vincent Browne programme but it is clear that the London issue needs to be addressed. Members made it absolutely clear that the details of that need to be forthcoming, and I would agree with them.

To refer to Vincent Browne's programme a few nights ago, at the end of the exchange between Deputy McGuinness and Mr. Browne - it was a typical Vincent Browne interview - the Deputy got quite combative and he mentioned the issue of Dublin Docklands and the banking inquiry as potential reasons, and Deputy Nolan might have alluded to this, this is happening. The Deputy put it out there that that was a potential reason individuals were leaking pieces of information, that freedom of information, FOI, requests were being made and that, as he said, a journalist was doing his job. The Deputy is in politics since 1979, as he said. He is a realist. He has made political enemies, as I have, but is he surprised by what is happening here today because I am not? The general view within this building is that the Deputy may have gone too far with regard to dealing with Government, civil servants - the mandarins. Is anyone really surprised that we are here today dealing with this in this fashion? I am not.

There is a balance in terms of the Government picking a member of the Opposition as Chairman of the most powerful committee in this building and that individual doing their job, as they see it, but we should be honest about that. The Deputy has been very combative with regard to elements of the Government, particularly when it comes to the banking inquiry. He has been very vocal in the media. In some cases he has raised the ire of members of this committee because he has done that singularly and, in some cases, without informing members of the committee, and that has been raised.

I am not surprised this is happening and, in my opinion, the Deputy made it clear on the Vincent Browne programme that he is not really surprised either. There is a reason for everything, and the reason somebody or some people are leaking information is to remove the Deputy from his position. That is my opinion.